A thrilling Euro 2024 ended on Sunday with Spain finishing fourth, with goals from Nico Williams (47th minute) and Mikel Oyarzabal (86th minute) enough to beat England, after Cole Palmer briefly pulled the Three Lions level with just one pass. 15 minutes left.
With the confetti still lingering on the field, ESPN writers on the field and at home immediately reflected on Sunday’s incredible final.
Spain got its just reward
Spain have won a record-breaking fourth European Championship, one more than Germany, and few would argue are the best team in the final. They have scored the most goals, won all seven matches — needing extra time only once — and played their best football throughout. (They are the only men’s team to win all seven games at the Euros.)
While pre-tournament favorites France and England were more reactive, preferring to sit deeper and hope for some magic from one of their star players, Spain played at home and beat the best: hosts Italy, hosts Germany, France and England. However, to win the tournament, you also have to dig in. He did it against Germany in Stuttgart, and in the second round against France in Tuesday’s semifinal.
He also showed resilience, coming from behind against Georgia and France and reacting well for England’s equalizer – even after losing midfielder Rodri to injury at half-time. That attitude was on display until the final seconds on Sunday, when Dani Olmo (who scored three goals at Euro 2024) headed Marc Guéhi’s effort over the line in stoppage time.
It’s an exciting time to La Roja, who have now won three of the past five Euros. This team is very different from the ones that won in 2008 and 2012. Only Jesús Navas remains in the 2012 final, and he will now retire from international football. However, a new generation is coming, led by wide man Nico Williams and 17-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal.
The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico cannot come soon enough for them. — Sam Marsden
Spanish subs make an impact because of their team approach, not name recognition
BERLIN – Looking at the substitutes’ bench for Spain and England, there is one thing that is very different. Not only does England manager Gareth Southgate have more brand name options, but he has a player who can change the face of his team. And that they did when they came in. Ollie Watkins gave England more dynamism and verticality, Cole Palmer not only scored the equaliser, but allowed England to switch to a 4-1-4-1 formation, slotting in next to Jude Bellingham and moving Phil Foden out to the left.
Spanish boss Luis de la Fuente, on the other hand, does not have the luxury of a change that would give Spain a different look. He made a like-for-like substitution at half-time — Martín Zubimendi for Rodri in midfield after the Man City star was knocked off — and then took off centre-forward Álvaro Morata for Mikel Oyarzabal. The last day’s job is usually more as a winger, but he fills the No. 9 position in a similar way to Morata.
(The later votes – Ivan Toney for England, Nacho and Mikel Merino for Spain – are the last meal.)
Is it better to change systems and personnel or maintain your system and tweak personnel, as needed? It’s a case-by-case situation, obviously, but in the case of Spain, has prepared to take the game to the opposition from the first minute, the fact that de la Fuente does not have game-changers on the bench is not really. hurt him. Southgate, by contrast, had to change his system and approach when he came in. — Gab Marcotti
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Ogden: Elite coaches will win England’s Euro 2024
Mark Ogden joins “ESPN FC” to discuss England’s performance in the finals at Euro 2024.
England found life after Kane
BERLIN — Harry Kane was replaced by Southgate after just an hour in the Euro 2024 final with his side trailing 1-0. It was a big call from the England manager, but the right one. While Kane was England’s top scorer with 66 goals and finished last season as the Bundesliga’s top scorer with Bayern Munich, he has not looked fit during this tournament.
Kane will be 31 this month, so it would be rude to write him off at this point. He still has time to regain his fitness and prove he still has plenty of time on the clock, but the change in England with Kane gone has been remarkable. Watkins’ pace and positional discipline gave Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham more goals as they were able to play a different ball to Watkins’ Aston Villa striker than Kane, who had little movement.
When Cole Palmer entered the fray, the Chelsea player added another new dimension to England’s play, scoring a stunning goal to finish off attacks from Saka and Bellingham.
Spain finally found a way to win when Mikel Oyarzabal scored the late winner, but if England had changed up quickly, they might have won the game.
Don’t consign Kane to history, but he can’t consider himself an automatic pick because England now have so many attacking options. — Mark Ogden
Will Southgate stay?
BERLIN – No one will feel the pain of England’s wait for a major men’s trophy for 60 years more than Gareth Southgate, but will they be hungry again at the 2026 World Cup?
ESPN reported earlier this week that the FA wanted Southgate to stay beyond his contract, which expires in December. However, fan sentiment towards the 53-year-old during the tournament created what he described as an “absolute roller coaster”, seeing his team booed twice during the group stages while beer mugs were also thrown in his direction after a fightback. Slovenia.
The criticism became more personal than ever as a side full of attacking talent failed to impress, but still rallied in dramatic fashion to reach their first major final on foreign soil, with a stunning last-gasp semi-final win over the Netherlands.
Southgate spoke emotionally after the game about “everyone wants to be loved, right?” and he will now gauge the British reaction in Germany before deciding on his future. In the end, they may not want to bother. Critics of the conservative style will only be heartened by the loss to Spain, as Southgate easily conceded areas to focus on defensive resilience and only open up when backing down.
Southgate has created a culture of positivity and tournament consistency unmatched in English history. But he still has to take that final step. Whether Southgate feels he has enough support remains to be seen. — James Olley
The Spanish winger won the day
At club level this season, Spanish wingers Williams and Yamal have combined for 14 goals and 23 assists in all competitions – impressive totals from players aged 22 and 16, but most compared to those seen from England’s Foden. (27 and 12, respectively) and Saka (20 and 13).
However, your system is important, and so is the structure of your attack. At Euro 2024, Foden and Saka were given few chances to create danger, attacked by an attack centered around Kane who ran out of gas and only rarely passed the ball by a midfield that sacrificed passing ability for industry and defensive ability. Foden doesn’t seem to know what’s required of him, either, flying all over the pitch looking for impact. In the end, Foden and Saka combined for one goal and zero assists from 14 chances created in 1,256 minutes of action.
Meanwhile, Williams and Lamal contributed three goals and five assists from 32 chances created in 1,001 minutes this summer. They are asked to provide width, make themselves available to switch the length of the play and move the ball into danger with speed and one-on-one capabilities. They are brilliant at it. And fittingly, they combined for the first goal of the final, with Yamal receiving a brilliant ball from Dani Carvajal, bursting into the middle of the pitch and setting up a goal screamer from Williams.
Foden and Saka combined to try one shot and two chances created in the final; Williams and Yamal, meanwhile, did the whole tournament: sending Spain to the title. — Bill Connelly
Palmer’s latest heroics were not enough to save England
BERLIN – Palmer has absolutely nothing in common with Sylvain Wiltord, apart from the Premier League player tag, and now, he points to the fact that both have scored as players in the Euro final.
Frenchman did it in 2000 as Les Bleus pulled off a miracle victory over Italy in Rotterdam, and the English did so on Sunday in Berlin. After Palmer assisted the winning goal against the Netherlands in the semi-final, he was the man to save the game for the Three Lions as Southgate made yet another tactical error.
Palmer, 22, has momentum after a good and successful season at Chelsea (25 goals, 15 assists in 45 games in all competitions). He is fearless and plays with freedom, talent and guts. It’s all about technique for him. On Sunday, he had been on the pitch for 2 minutes, 23 seconds after replacing Kobbie Mainoo, when he hit a perfect left-footed curler on the floor to beat Unai Simón.
Palmer probably deserves to play more in this competition. He deserved to start this final too, but will still be remembered as the man who saved England once and almost twice. He is now the only player in the history of the Euros to be a back-to-back decider in both the semifinals and finals of the tournament.
Despite all the talent and good signings – the only positive for England – they can’t do it all. — Julien Laurens
Other words in Yamal
BERLIN — Yamal turned 17 on Saturday and became European Champion on Sunday with his country. Injury permitting, who knows what Spain and Barcelona could achieve over the next decade?
At each stage of the tournament, it has been asked whether the pressure will finally get to him. German coach Julian Nagelsmann suggested that they try to distract him – Yamal would then score the opening goal. French midfielder Adrien Rabiot said Yamal needed to do more than he had done so far to make the final — Yamal went on to score a goal to help send France through to the semifinals.
England were careful not to give themselves extra motivation before the final, but they couldn’t either. After a quiet first half, they came alive in the second half. The left-footer has done so much damage in Germany – from that strike against France to assists against Croatia, Georgia and the hosts – and he was again the architect of the opening goal here. Cutting in, he fed the ball to Nico Williams, coming in from the right to open the scoring.
Yamal should probably score as well. Jordan Pickford twice denied him, once at 1-0 and later at 1-1, but it didn’t matter in the end, because Mikel Oyarzabal slid in the last winner.
Euro 2024 will be remembered as Yamal’s breakout. He had a tournament-high four assists – a record five – and carried the responsibility of an entire country on his shoulders, all while breaking Pele’s record as the youngest player to ever appear at a FIFA World Cup or UEFA Europe. Championship finals.
In short, they’ve got a slice of the pie. — Marsden
